Improvement ih breech-loading fire-arms



. l Y" l' s. M. MILBANK. e fsm Improvement in Brveech-Loadinfg MERK f M.MILBANK. Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms.

2 Sheets--Sheeir 2.

Patented April 16, 1872.

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ISAAC MILBANK, OF GREENFIELD HILL, CONNECTICUT.

llVlPRQ'l/EMENT lN BREECH=LOADING FIR-E-ARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 125,829, dated April16, 1872 antedated April 13, 18721.

To all 'whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC M. MILBANK, of Greenfield Hill, in the countyof Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement inBreech-Loadin g Fire-Arms 5 and the following is hereby decla-red to bea correct description of. the same.

This invention relates to a breech loading lire-arm with a slidingbreech operated by a direct movement of the hand, and. in which thehammer acts upon the rear end of a central-iire cartridge. The slidingbreech-block is connected with a tube, in which is the hammer and aspring to actuate `the same. `The breech-block is held against theexplosion by a lever that also serves as part of the handle in movingsaid breech. This lever acts upon the swin ging rctractor to cause it tohold the flange ot' the cartridge in withdrawing said cartridge. It alsoacts upon a safety-pin that prevents the hammer driving the tiring-pinforward except when the swinging lever is fully to its, place'.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the breech portionof the fire-arm tit-ted with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe parts in place for ring. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, showing thebreechblock and lever-handle. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the breech,showing the front end of the breech-pin and lever. Fig. 5 is a sideview, and Fig. 6 is a plan, of the breech-black separately; and in thelatter iigure the lever is shown in section' and the connecting devicerepresented in a modified form; and Fig. 7 is a section of the handle tothe breech-lever.

The barrel a., stock b, and housing c for the breech mechanism are ofthe usual character, except so far as being adapted to the improvedparts hereafter described. A breechblock, d, is made to slide in thehousing c, said housing being open at the side for inserting thecartridge and for the lever-handle c that sustains said breech-blockagainst the explosion, and is also used to give motion to saidbreech-block endwise. At the rear end of the breech-block d is acylindrical projection receiving the tubular hammer-casef, the two beingpreferably connected by a bayonet-lock, 2, so that the case f can bedisconnected and drawn out from the rear of c, when the trigger-pin iswithdrawn from "the longitudinal lslot of the said casef; and I remarkthat the ribs or grooves 24, serving to guide the breechblock d near thebarrel, do not extend the entire length of its movement, so that thebreechblock can be taken out sidewise after the hammer-case f has beendisconnected. The grooves may be in the housing, with notches at thepoint-s where the breech-block is to be withdrawn, the ribs being on thebreech-block. The lever-handleeis connected with the bre-echblock d bypassing over a gudgeon, 4, projecting from its side, and a screw mightbe emblock and While the parts are out of the gun. A

When placed in the gun the lever c slides in the opening at the side ofthe housing c, and

it is turned down into the notch on the shield 6 to take the recoil ofthe explosion, and the ribs and grooves, being locked together, preventthe lever separating from the gud geon 4.

'The handle k, projecting from the lever c,

serves to actuate the breech-block and Iconnected parts; and, `in orderto lessen concussion of the hand against this handle, I make use of arubber cylinder, l, around said handle, such cylinder contracting intothe space provided for it in the handle, and requiring no otherattachment. The catch n that is in this handle 7c springs into a notchin the recoilshield 6, and this spring is pressed in by the hand as thelever is turned to open the breech. Within the breech-block d is thetiring-pin i, and within the case f is the hammer m surrounded by thespring a', said spring being connected at the rear end to the hammer andat the forward end to the interior of the casef so that the spring isdistended when the hammer is held by the trigger-pin p, and the breechis closed; and when said pin or scar p is withdrawn thc contraction ofthe spring projects the hammer, and, by striking the liring-pin 1'.,throws that against the center of the cartridge and explodes the same.The spring n might be iitted so as' to be compressed in opening thebreech and expand in safety-pin, if, that is made as an incline on theend, and there is a cavity in the side of the lever'e in line with thissafety-pin when the breech d and lever e are properly in place, so thatthe iringpin can be thrown forward by the hammer and the inclines willforce the safety-pin partly into such cavity; but, if the lever e is notproperly turned, then the cavity not coinciding with the pin, the innersurface ofthe lever will keep the safety-pin projected into thefiring-pin, so that the hammer will not project said tiring-pin; hence,the cartridge will not be exploded if the parts are not in properposition for resisting` the concussion. The shape of this safety-pin mayvary, as a neck turned uponthe tiring-pin and a safetypin with a concavenotch may enter the neck, the -safety-pin being operated by the lever e,as before.

In order to draw out the cartridge I make use of the retractor u; thatis hookshaped at the end, and catches over the flange of. thecartridge-ease. The breech-block is mortised out so that this retractorand its axis, made in one piece, may be slipped edgewise into place, orremoved in the same manner for cleaning or otherwise, therebysimplifying the parts and avoiding risk of loss of small screws or' pinsin cleaning the gun.

Upon the inner face of the lever e, at they end contiguous to the saidretractor, a small incline, u', (see Fig. 4,) serves to press down thehook of the retractor and make it hold the cartridge while being drawnout. This incline is operative upon the retractor just as the lever e isswung up to draw back the breech-block and cartridge-shell; and aspringejector, s, made as a slight spiral spring, in

serted in a hole at the front of the breechblock, throws out the emptycase just as its forward end clears the rear end of the barrel. Theprojection c on the lever e, taking against the shoulder t upon thehousing c, ser-ves to start the cartridge-case and.parts in drawing backthe breech at the same time that the hook of the retractor is held irmlyto the han ge of the cartridge-case.

The trigger-pin p is placed in a cylinder, fw, that is screwed upon theinner portion of the trigger-guard w1, and a searor lever, w?, li11-terpos'ed between this pin p and the trigger w3, serves to communicatemotion from the latter to draw down the trigger-pin p against the actionof the spring-9, and liberate the hammer m so that it can be projectedby its Spring fn.

The safety-trigger is Aformed of a slide, 14, around the cylinder fw,with a projecting end, 15, tobe operated by the finger, and a block,

\ 16, to intervene behind the trigger w3, and

prevent the trigger being pulled and thearm fired except when thesafety-trigger block 16 is pressed up out of the way. The spring 17around the cylinderw presses this safety-trigger down to place when nototherwise acted upon.

The rearend of the riiling in the barrel is made in such a manner as notto scrape the lead of the ball, but to compress the same,

and also to produce a firm hold of the riding on the ball at thecommencement of the movement, and thereby insure the rotation of theball.

Instead of tapering the forward end of the chamber of the barrel wherethe riiiing ends, vas usual, I simply taper the rib portion of theritling, as shown at 18, and leave the edges ot' the riiiing in the formof projectingehiselshaped points or edges, in order that these may scorethe ball or its .ease as soon as it commences to move and before thelcompression of the ball or its case takes place in entering the smallerpart of the barrel. Thereby the ball will be eectual'ly rotated by theriding. This construction of rifling also allows the ball or its sabotto be pressed into place with ease.

The hammer and ring-pin might be made in one piece if the safety-pinacted against a sloping shoulder instead of passing through a mortise.

' It is to be understood that when the breechblock, spring-case, andparts are drawn back the trigger-pin p holds the hammer; and asthebreech-block is forced forward the hainmer-sprin g is strained. Therebythe hammer has the same extent of motion as the breech; and when thebreech is closed, the rear end of the hammer, projecting slightly, showsthat the parts are in place. The hole in which the retractor works maybe slightly elongated to allow of an end movement to the retractor toaccommodate the position ofthe flange-of the cartridge.

I claim as my invention- 1. The hammercase j', receiving the hammer mand contractile spring n', as shown, and

vremovably connected to the breech-block d, as

and for the purposes set forth.

2. The breech-lever e upon a gudgeon at the side ofthe breechblock, .andconnected thereto substantiallyas set forth, in combination with therecoil shield 6, substantially as specillied.

3. The swinging retractor u and its axial pin slipped into a notch inthe-edge of the breech-block, in combination with the lever e, as andfor the purposes set forth.

4. The safety-pin r operated by the lever e, in combination with thefiring-pint' and breechyblock d, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

5. The spring s inserted in the face'of the breech-block d and acting asan ejector, for the purposes and as set forth.

` 6. The rubber cylinder l combined with and musee .a

applied to the handle k of the breech-lever e, in the manner and for thepurposes set forth. 7. The lever e made with the projection v forstarting the breech and they are drawn back, as set forth.

8. The safety-trigger sliding upon the cylinder ze, in combination with.said cylinder w,

trigger w3, trigger-pin p, and sear @02, es set.

forth.

9. The rifling in the barrel made with the cartridge-case asl edges ofthe ruling-grooves projecting toward the balh'zmd the riingfribs beveledbetween' fied.

I. M. MILBANK.

Witnesses: j

CEAS. H. SMITH, HAROLD SERRELL,

